Overview
Every summer we have a group reading project. This is a chance for us to continue to grow as a community even though we will be separated by many miles. This summer we’re reading Devotional Classics, an anthology by Foster & Smith. This book is full of short readings (about 4 pages each) which have stood the test of time (we’ll be reading stuff from the 4th century up through the last century) and the readings are very practical. We’ll knock out one reading every three or four days and shoot to have a hangout once every three weeks.
This is an easy way to dive into the Christian classics. Our hope is that participants will find some old Christian writers that they really resonate with so they can dive deeper into their writings on their own someday.
How To Participate
If you’re interested, buy the book ($14 from Christianbook or $19 from Amazon) and fill out the form then read along with us! Incoming students as well as alumni are welcome to participate. Filling out the form means that we’ll add you to the discussions that we have about the book and send you info for the Zoom calls, but if you prefer to read on your own in stealth mode, go for it.
| what to read |
which pages |
complete by |
| “On The Reading of Old Books” by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) this essay is not in the anthology, but is available for free online and is an excellent introduction to our summer reading project |
Friday, June 17 | |
|
“The Present Moment”, Jean Pierre de Caussade (1675-1751) |
200-204 |
Mon, June 20 |
|
“Opening Windows To God”, Frank Laubach (1884-1970) |
101-105 |
Thu, June 23 |
|
“Purifying The Soul,” John of the Cross (1542-1591) |
33-37 |
Mon, June 27 |
|
The Habit Of Reading The Bible Daily, E. Stanley Jones (1884-1973) |
281-285 |
Thu, June 30 |
|
Our first Zoom – Thu, June 30 9pm PST. |
||
|
“Sermon on Dying To Sin”, John Chrysostom (345-407) |
309-312 |
Mon, July 4 (‘murica!) |
|
“Falling Into Presumption”, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) |
143-147 |
Thu, July 7 |
|
“Four Degrees of Love”, Bernard of Clarivaux (1090-1153) |
41-44 |
Mon, July 11 |
|
“Loving One Another”, John Wesley (1703-1791) |
258-261 |
Thu, July 14 |
|
“Praying The Scripture”, Madame Guyon (1648-1717) |
302-306 |
Mon, July 18 |
|
A Simple Regimen of Private Prayer, George Buttrick (1892-1980) |
87-91 |
Thu, July 21 |
|
Our second Zoom – Thu, July 21 9pm PST. |
||
|
Dealing With Temptations, Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) |
150-154 |
Mon, July 25 |
|
Striving To Make Progress, Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) |
163-167 |
Thu, July 28 |
|
The Grace of Humility, Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) |
244-248 |
Mon, Aug 1 |
|
The Church’s Impact Upon Society, William Temple (1881-1944) |
223-227 |
Thu, Aug 4 |
|
Praying in Faith, Martin Luther (1483-1546) |
115-119 |
Mon, Aug 8 |
|
The Joy of Self-Denial, John Calvin (1509-1564) |
136-140 |
Thu, Aug 11 |
|
Christ in Community, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) |
271-274 |
Mon, Aug 15 |
|
“A Magical Universe”, G.K. Chesterton (1864-1936) |
333-336 |
Thu, Aug 18 |
|
Our third Zoom – Thu, Aug 18 9pm PST. |
||
|
The Spiritual Flame, Richard Rolle (1290-1349) |
129-133 |
Mon, Aug 22 |
|
Waiting Upon God, Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510) |
180-183 |
Thu, Aug 25 |
|
God The Rule and Measure, William Law (1686-1761) |
157-160 |
Mon, Aug 29 |
|
Sharing The Joy With Others, Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1933) |
288-291 |
Thu, Sep 1 |
|
Recovering The Joy of Service (Hannah Whitall Smith, 1832-1911) |
237-241 |
Mon, Sep 5 |
|
Jesus Christ The Image Of God, Athanasius (297-373) |
339-342 |
Thu, Sep 9 |
|
Our final Zoom – Thu, Sep 9 at 9pm PST. |
||
Classes are slated to begin Monday, September 26, 2022.
We started archiving our previous summer reading projects for the curious
The 2021 Book: B.L.E.S.S. by the brothers Ferguson
Overview
Every summer we have a group reading project. This is a chance for us to continue to grow as a community even though we will be separated by many miles (we say that every summer – but it’s doubly true this year). This summer we’re reading B.L.E.S.S. by Dave Ferguson and Jon Ferguson. The Fergusons, two brothers who planted a church together, have written a practical guide to sharing your faith without being weird.
How To Participate
If you’re interested, buy the book ($13 from Christianbook or $17 from Amazon) and fill out the form then read along with us! Incoming students as well as alumni are welcome to participate. Filling out the form means that we’ll add you to the discussions that we have about the book, but if you prefer to read on your own in stealth mode, go for it.
| Reading target | Glen’s commentary | |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, June 18 |
Chapter One: Why Does Sharing The Good News Feel So Bad? |
this book’s message aligns with the heart of our ministry |
| Friday, June 25 | Chapter Three: Begin With Prayer | some simple thoughts on praying for your friends |
| Friday, July 2 | Chapter Four: Listen | it’s not that we don’t know to listen – we just fail to do it |
| Friday, July 9 | Chapter Five: Eat | |
| Friday, July 16 | Chapter Six: Serve | |
| Friday, July 24 | Chapter Seven: Story | |
| Friday, July 31 | Chapter Eight: Are You Ready To Be a B.L.E.S.S.ing Every Day? Chapter Nine: A B.L.E.S.S. Strategy For Changing The World |
|
| summary thoughts |
Fall quarter classes are slated to begin September 20, 2021.
The 2020 Book: Christianity For Modern Pagans (Pascal’s Pensees)
Every summer we have a group reading project. This is a chance for us to continue to grow as a community even though we will be separated by many miles (we say that every summer – but it’s doubly true this year). This summer we’re reading Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal’s Pensées Edited, Outlined & Explained by Peter Kreeft, an annotated translation of The Pensées by a professor of philosophy.
In his words, “I know no pre-twentieth-century book except the Bible that shoots Christian arrows farther into modern pagan hearts than the Pensées. I have taught ‘Great Books’ classes for twenty years, and every year my students sit silent, even awed, at Pascal more than at any other of the forty great thinkers we cover throughout the history of Western philosophy and theology.”
Stanford’s virtual commencement is Sunday, June 14. We’ll begin reading the following week. There will be about 25 pages of reading per week. Here’s the reading schedule:
| Reading target | Glen’s commentary | |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, June 19 | Preface Chapter One: Order Chapter Two: Method |
loving our skeptical friends |
| Friday, June 26 | Chapter Three: Wretchedness Chapter Four: The Paradox of Greatness and Wretchedness |
my favorite Pensee |
| Friday, July 3 | Chapter Five: Vanity Chapter Six: Vanity of Human Justice |
Pascal was prescient |
| Friday, July 10 | Chapter Seven: Vanity of Human Reason Chapter Eight: Vanity of Dogmatism Chapter Nine: Vanity of the Philosophers |
why Christians are so countercultural on sex |
| Friday, July 17 | Chapter Ten: Alienation Chapter Eleven: Death |
none |
| Friday, July 24 | Chapter Twelve: Sin, Selfishness, Self-Love | on our cultural schism |
| Friday, July 31 | Chapter Thirteen: Diversion Chapter Fourteen: Indifference |
|
| Friday, August 7 | Chapter Fifteen: Passionate Truth-Seeking Chapter Sixteen: Three Levels of Reality Chapter Seventeen: The Heart Chapter Eighteen: Faith and Reason |
|
| Friday, August 14 | Chapter Nineteen: Why God Hides Chapter Twenty: Reliability of Scripture |
|
| Friday, August 21 | Chapter Twenty-One: The Jews Chapter Twenty-Two: Miracles |
|
| Friday, August 28 | Chapter Twenty-Three: Uniqueness of Christianity Chapter Twenty-Four: How the Christian Key Fits the Human Lock |
|
| Friday, September 4 | Chapter Twenty-Five: The Wager | |
| Friday, September 11 | Chapter Twenty-Six: Christ Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Body of Christ Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Experience of Christ |
|
| summary thoughts |
The 2019 Book: Celebration of Discipline
Every year we do a summer reading project. This is a chance for us to continue to grow as a community even though we will be separated by many miles. This summer we’re reading Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster (Amazon). This book, first published in 1978, has helped millions develop habits to move them closer to Christian maturity.
Here’s the reading schedule.
Commencement is Sunday, June 16 – summer begins.
| Reading target | Glen’s commentary | |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, June 21 | introduction & Chapter 1 – The Spiritual Disciplines: Door to Liberation. Note: we’re saving the preface and foreword for later. | kicking off the summer reading project |
| Friday, June 28 | Chapter Two: Meditation | meditating upon Scripture |
| Friday, July 5 | Chapter Three: Prayer | some suggestions from Glen |
| Friday, July 12 | Chapter Four: Fasting | foregoing food for spiritual purposes |
| Friday, July 19 | Chapter Five: Study and Foreword | upping your mental game |
| Friday, July 26 | Chapter Six: Simplicity | not feeling completely at home in Silicon Valley |
| Friday, August 2 | Chapter Seven: Solitude and Preface | social insulation |
| Friday, August 9 | Chapter Eight: Submission | spheres of authority |
| Friday, August 16 | Chapter Nine: Service | from “must I?” to “can I?” |
| Friday, August 23 | Chapter Ten: Confession | specificity gives confession power |
| Friday, August 30 | Chapter Eleven: Worship | become undignified |
| Friday, September 6 | Chapter Twelve: Guidance | making decisions |
| Friday, September 13 | Chapter Thirteen: Celebration and Appendix: The Great Conversation | rejoicing in the everyday |
| concluding thoughts | the shortcomings of trying without training |
Classes resume Monday, September 23 and we will resume our weekly on-campus worship services.
The 2018 Books: A C.S. Lewis Assortment
Every year we do a summer reading project. This is a chance for us to continue to grow as a community even though we will be separated by many miles. This summer we’re reading three shorter works by CS Lewis: The Abolition of Man (full text on archive.org), The Four Loves (full text), and The Screwtape Letters (full text). I believe those links are legal – let me know if they are not.
Here’s the reading schedule.
Commencement is Sunday, June 17 – summer begins.
| the reading target | Glen’s commentary | |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, June 22 | The Abolition of Man (49 pages) Chapter One: Men Without Chests Chapter Two: The Way |
Glen’s commentary: kicking off the summer reading project
Thoughts on chapters one and two |
| Friday, June 29 | Chapter Three: The Abolition of Man Appendix: Illustrations of the Tao |
Some choice quotes from the end of The Abolition of Man |
| Friday, July 6 | The Four Loves (97 pages) Introduction Chapter One: Likings and Loves for the Sub-human |
Glen’s thoughts on week three’s readings |
| Friday, July 13 | Chapter Two: Affection | In which Glen goes on a slight rant about the limits of therapy. |
| Friday, July 20 | Chapter Three: Friendship | Glen says: Chi Alpha friendships are awesome, although male-female friendships are complicated. |
| Friday, July 27 | Chapter Four: Eros | Glen’s reflections on the absurdity of sex. |
| Friday, August 3 | Chapter Five: Charity | Glen’s comments, including the most famous passage from The Four Loves |
| Friday, August 10 | The Screwtape Letters (119 pages) Preface Letters One Through Five |
|
| Friday, August 17 | Letters Six Through Twelve | |
| Friday, August 24 | Letters Thirteen Through Nineteen | |
| Friday, August 31 | Letters Twenty Through Twenty-Five | |
| Friday, September 7 | Letters Twenty-Five Through Thirty | |
| Friday, September 14 | Letter Thirty-One Screwtape Proposes A Toast |
Classes resume Monday, September 24 and our first worship services will begin that week.
The 2017 Book: To Change The World
Our book this summer is To Change The World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World by James Davison Hunter, a Christian who is a sociologist at UVA. This is a thoughtful book about Christianity, politics, and culture.
From the publisher’s summary: “The call to make the world a better place is inherent in the Christian belief and practice. But why have efforts to change the world by Christians so often failed or gone tragically awry? And how might Christians in the 21st century live in ways that have integrity with their traditions and are more truly transformative?”
Two helpful reviews are at Books and Culture and 9Marks.
Special bonus – for the first time ever, our summer reading project is a book that is available online via the Stanford Library.
How To Participate
If you’re interested, fill out the form and read along with us! Incoming students as well as alumni are welcome to read along with us. Filling out the form means that we’ll add you to the discussions that we have about the book, but if you prefer to read on your own in total stealth mode, go for it.
Here’s the reading schedule.
Commencement is Sunday, June 18 – summer begins.
| Friday, June 23 | Essay I Christianity and World-Changing Chapter One Christian Faith and the Task of World-Changing (5 pages) Chapter Two Culture: The Common View (15 pages) |
|
| Friday, June 30 | Chapter Three The Failure of the Common View (16 pages) Chapter Four An Alternative View of Culture and Cultural Change in Eleven Propositions (16 pages) |
|
| Friday, July 7 | Chapter Five Evidence in History (35 pages) | |
| Friday, July 14 | Chapter Six The Cultural Economy of American Christianity (14 pages) Chapter Seven For and Against the Mandate of Creation (4 pages) |
Glen’s commentary on week 4 |
| Friday, July 21 | Essay II Rethinking Power Chapter One The Problem of Power (2 pages) Chapter Two Power and Politics in American Culture (10 pages) |
Glen’s commentary on week 5 |
| Friday, August 28 | Chapter Three The Christian Right (29 pages) | Glen’s commentary on week 6 |
| Friday, August 4 | Chapter Four The Christian Left (22 pages) | Glen’s commentary on week 7 |
| Friday, August 11 | Chapter Five The Neo-Anabaptists (21 pages) | Glen’s commentary on week 8 |
| Friday, August 18 | Chapter Six Illusion, Irony, and Tragedy (10 pages) Chapter Seven Rethinking Power: Theological Reflections (18 pages) |
Glen’s commentary on week 9 |
| Friday, August 25 | Essay III Toward a New City Commons: Reflections on a Theology of Faithful Presence Chapter One The Challenge of Faithfulness (15 pages) |
Glen’s commentary on week 10 |
| Friday, September 1 | Chapter Two Old Cultural Wineskins (14 pages) Chapter Three The Groundwork for an Alternative Way (13 pages) |
Glen’s commentary on week 11 |
| Friday, September 8 | Chapter Four Toward a Theology of Faithful Presence (17 pages) | Glen’s commentary on week 12 |
| Friday, September 15 | Chapter Five The Burden of Leadership: A Theology of Faithful Presence in Practice (17 pages) Chapter Six Toward a New City Commons (13 pages) |
Glen’s commentary on week 13 |
Classes resume Monday, September 25 and our first worship services will begin that week.